17th Annual Ottawa Folk Festival Announces Evening Schedule, Additional Artists
Image courtesy of The Ottawa Folk Festival
OTTAWA, Ontario (July 20th, 2010) – The Ottawa Folk Festival has released the full evening schedule for the 17th edition of its annual celebration of music, dance and community engagement, revealing a few late additions to an already exciting and eclectic line-up that includes such diverse artists as acclaimed alt-folk stars Calexico, avant-garde Inuit throat-singer Tanya Tagaq, Canadian roots-music icon Jim Cuddy and Buryat folk-rock sensations Namgar.
“I love the challenge of putting together the schedule for such a diverse line-up,” enthuses Festival Director Dylan Griffith. “You want each night to flow and have a certain cohesion, and you end up finding a sort of crazy internal logic where nobody other than Namgar could play before The Hidden Cameras.” Asked to choose a favourite of the three nights, Griffith explains that while “each night has its own distinct flavour, you really need to take in the entire weekend to get the full folk festival experience.”
Headlining the first night of this year’s festival will be legendary alternative hip hop collective Arrested Development. With their infectious energy, socially-conscious lyrics and irresistible fusion of gospel, jazz, soul, R&B and yes, hip hop, Arrested Development is sure to get the folk fest crowd out of their lawn chairs and up on their feet – making a lot of new fans in the process. Also featured on the CUPE Main Stage on Friday night will be Toronto-based folk-rock orchestra Rock Central Plaza, local favourites The Acorn and award-winning folk troubadour Jon Brooks. Meanwhile, across the park in the Galaxie Dance Tent, the gospel-tinged folk of Bruce Peninsula will kick off the night, followed by the high-energy bluegrass of Toronto’s The Foggy Hogtown Boys and the sweaty, tent revival roots-rock of Pennsylvania’s Hoots & Hellmouth.
Saturday’s main attraction will undoubtedly be acclaimed Arizona alt-country ensemble Calexico, but they are merely one highlight in a night full of stellar acts. Quebec’s Galant, tu perds ton temps, one of a handful of late additions to this year’s line-up, will start the night on the CUPE Main Stage with a rousing set of traditional folk, sung a cappella with only minimal percussion for accompaniment. Staying in a traditional vein, Scotland’s award-winning Celtic trio LAU will take the stage next, followed by west coast country crooner Carolyn Mark and local hero Jim Bryson, who will be backed up by Canadian indie rock icons The Weakerthans. Over in the Galaxie Dance Tent, English troubadour Frank Turner will open the night with his distinctive brand of punked-up folk anthems, while Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq and Buryat folk-rock ensemble Namgar will fuse the ancient and the modern in what are sure to be two stunning and unforgettable sonic experiences. Not to be outdone, Toronto’s infamous gay church folk collective The Hidden Cameras will finish off the night in the dance tent with their manic, much heralded and not-to-be-missed live extravaganza.
The festival’s final night will get off to a toe-tapping start in the Galaxie Dance Tent with a two-hour trad dance party featuring Ottawa’s own Old Sod Band. Two more local favourites will keep the party going as bluesman Terry Gillespie and African groovemaster The Mighty Popo take the stage, priming the crowds for an adrenalin-fueled, tent-shaking closing set by Bhangra-Celtic fusion outfit Delhi 2 Dublin.
On the CUPE Main Stage, the Festival’s final night will kick off with hot up-and-coming country combo Ladies of the Canyon, followed by the one-two indie-folk punch of Portland quartet Horse Feathers and Toronto two-piece Bahamas. Bringing back the country vibe – with a healthy dose of bluegrass - festival favourite Jenny Whiteley will take the stage next, backed up by her crack band of seasoned players. The evening’s penultimate act and this year’s one bona fide legend, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott is guaranteed to charm and delight, spinning tall tales from his storied life in between a selection of songs from a repertoire that spans over 40 years. Closing out the night – and the weekend – Canadian roots-music icon Jim Cuddy will take the stage last, joined by just-announced special guests Luke Doucet & Melissa McClelland.
As a special side-program this year, the festival will start each evening on the CUPE Main Stage with a short performance by one of three featured choirs. First up on Friday night is Folka Voca, the Ottawa Folklore Centre’s community choir, while Saturday will feature Ottawa’s premier queer community choir, Tone Cluster. As is tradition at the OFF, Sunday night will kick off with a performance by the Terry Penner Festival Choir, a unique group led by Andy Rush and made of festival attendees who rehearse over the course of the festival weekend.
In addition to its evening concerts, the Ottawa Folk Festival will present an array of daytime concerts, collaborative workshop sessions, and participatory activities for music lovers of all ages. The full daytime schedule will be announced on July 27th.
About The Ottawa Folk Festival
The 2010 Ottawa Folk Festival will take place from Friday, August 13 to Sunday, August 15th on the shores of the Ottawa River in beautiful Britannia Park. Over 40 local, national and international music acts will be featured on two evening and five daytime stages. The Festival will also feature a full program of participatory music workshops, children’s and family activities, an artisan village, environmental talks, food stalls, beer gardens and much, much more.
Tickets are available on-line at www.ticketbreak.com, by phone at 1-866-9-GET-TIX, or in person at the Ottawa Folklore Centre, Ten Thousand Villages in Westboro, and all three CD Warehouse locations.
For more information, please visit www.ottawafolk.org.
